Luanda - Angola will be able to produce green hydrogen with a capacity of 280 tons by 2025, the Secretary of State for Energy, Arlindo Carlos revealed on Tuesday, in Luanda.
The official was speaking at the symposium about overcoming energy shortages in the SADC region, focusing on the role of parliamentarians in promoting renewable energy policies and creating a single regional energy market.
Green hydrogen is a clean energy source that only emits water vapor and leaves no residue in the air, unlike coal and oil.
“It is our firm conviction that we will join the production of green hydrogen by 2025, creating a capacity of 280,000 tons', assured the Secretary of State.
At the symposium, which took place on the sidelines of the 55th Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, the Secretary of State informed that there are already agreements between Sonangol and a German company, which intends to export this green hydrogen.
He also said that there are prospects for regional electricity connections between Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia.
“We plan to interconnect with Zambia and the DRC through a 500 kilovot high voltage direct current line, so that we can take the electricity produced in Angola to these two neighboring countries”, he said.
He said it is a project estimated at one billion and one hundred million dollars, which must have a private partnership.
He made it known that the forecast for completion of this project is 2028.
Wind and hydroelectric capacity
According to the Secretary of State, from a wind power point of view, Angola has a power corresponding to 3,000 megawatts, which corresponds to three jigawts.
Regarding hydroelectric capacity, he revealed that the country has a notable potential, part of which has already been developed, estimated at 18 thousand megawatts.
“We have many axes that should be developed in various ways that, converted into electricity, can be associated with the industrial plan not only in Angola but also in the SADC region”, he expressed.
According to the Secretary of State, the country has a potential of 18,000 megawatts from an electricity point of view, as a result of contributions from several river basins, the main one being the middle Cuanza basin.
He made it known that in the middle Cuanza basin the largest hydroelectric dam in Angola (Caculo-Cabaça) is being built with an installed capacity of 2,172 megawatts.
He indicated that the economic infrastructure should have a capacity greater than the Laúca hydroelectric dam and be among the largest hydroelectric dams in Africa and the largest in Southern Africa.
'There are similar capacities identified at the level of Mozambique and western Africa, but, even so, none of these projects exceeds the capacity that the Caculo-Cabaça hydroelectric plant should have', he maintained.
Solar power plants
He informed that Angola has also developed important solar projects such as the Biópio hydroelectric plants with a capacity of 188 megawatts and the Baía-Farta plant with 96.97 megawatts.
He also made reference to the Caraculo wind farm, “which had an interesting development model that can be explored in the Solar Resource Development Plan for the provision of electricity to population and industrial needs of SADC regulation'. DC/VIC/DOJ
